Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.A new British Medical Association report suggests that at least a quarter of a million patients each year are admitted to hospital with an adverse drug reaction, at a cost of around GBP466 million a year.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
In the report, the British Medical Association (BMA) calls on health professionals to inform the regulatory agency when a medication has an unwanted effect.
An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is an unwanted or harmful reaction experienced following the administration of a drug or combination of drugs, and is suspected to be related to the drug. The reaction may be a known side effect of the drug or it may be new and previously unrecognized.
The report says that ADRs continue to be significantly under-reported in the UK and the BMA wants to see reporting rates increase as this will protect health and save lives. The reporting of ADRs has identified major safety issues, for example in 2003 the sale of the herbal drug kava kava was withdrawn in the UK due to liver damage risks.
Key recommendations from the report include that healthcare professionals should consider it their professional duty to report suspected ADRs, and that all healthcare professionals should be vigilant about the status of medicines, particularly those labeled as black triangle medications, which are under intensive monitoring.
In addition, the report says, when prescribing medication, doctors should tell patients that if they suffer any reaction to a medication, they should inform the prescribing doctor and/or complete a patient Yellow Card as available on the MHRA website.
Healthcare professionals should also ask patients which medications they are taking, including any over the counter or herbal remedies. This is particularly important in avoiding interactions which often cause ADRs.
The BMA also stressed the importance of teaching pharmacovigilance in the undergraduate medical curricula and pointed out that the new UK National Programme for IT represents a significant opportunity to systematically gather information on ADRs and improve pharmacovigilance.
“Doctors have a professional duty to report all adverse drug reactions, especially if children or the elderly are involved,” commented Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Head of BMA ethics and science. “Unfortunately too many health professionals are confused about reporting procedures. Doctors must make sure they report any suspected ADR and at the same time increase awareness among their patients about the reporting process.”